I just don't see very many in the Bible.
Yet
Tolkien himself said his work is "fundamentally a Religious and Catholic one."
There are actually a great many extractions from "religion" and the bible in his works, from beginning to end.
We just misunderstand what he meant, what he did, how, and why... which was going to be the foundation of my book.
However, I'm now questioning getting that done.
You see... Tolkien said he included the "elements" of Religion and Catholocism... just not 'overt Christianity.'
So the questions simply are: 1. What did he mean by the "
elements" of religion, and what are the "
elements" he included.
And, those "elements" span religions beyond just Christianty, and can be found in many other religions as well.
Understanding Tolkien is to undeerstand the precision of his application of words.
Elements of Religion include things like: A Creation, Love, Providence (one of the great themes of his text), Faith (shown in several
places throughout), hope, a certain level of Prophecy, a means of 'salvation' (shown essentially as a 'works based salvation' in his text), a 'heavenly host' whose purpose is to serve mankind, and an 'earthly one' needing to be served, and much, much more.
There is no denying there is a great "religious element" to Tolkien's work. Is it "Biblically based: ? In part, there are some biblical elements - but not because it is 'bible'l but because they are found "in religion".
Some feel Tolkien was "unable to get over himself and his background," and HAD to toe the line to his biblical roots. I have 26
books in my library I've reviewed, all essentially driven from this misconception.
I submit Tolkien totally 'overcame his background' to deliver what he presented us. And in ways many don't want to admit because it yanks their
precious carpet out from under them, and shakes their personal foundations to the core.
And just a p.s. - 'healthy discussion of religion' IS OK here, as long as it relates to Tolkien and his work. A healthy discussion of the Bible and its differences from Tolkien's work would not necessarily be out of order - but it MUST be understood not all of us agree on what the bible says, and how it is to be interpreted. SO - many if not most of us take a "healthy avoidance" posture on the issue.
I've 45 years of deep study, teaching, some work in the original
languages on the Bible, and assistance on translation of it for BubleHub's new translations - The Berean Study Bible and Berean Literal Translation - oh and also the NASB 1977 Modernized, where I assisted in updating much of the archaic language to more modern English - so if anyone has any questions feel free to PM me... but I can assure you of this: all you will get from me regarding the Bible, even after all these years of work, is how I have been led to interpret it through diligent effort in prayer and work in those original languages, understanding what they meant in their day (and not what they mean now in ours.)
Finally, I submit the Religious foundation for Tolkien's work and the Mythological foundation for Tolkien's work are entirely separate things, and anyone discussing them should understand that.
There are those who feel all Religion is myth. There are others who do not believe this.
So the very nature of trying to mix the two sets up an immediate and unresolvable conflict.
Be aware of this, and do not allow the
Religion of Opinion to overtake your good common sense, goodwill, and forbearance of one another.
Thank you.